For now ultra-competitive business worldbeing a leader feels like running an endless marathon. That’s probably why some executives, like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huangwork every day of the week—including holidays—to stay ahead.

Ryan Sergeant operates from the same all philosophy.

The social media mogul, Netflix star, and founder of real estate company SERHANT has built a reputation not just for selling high-end homes to millionaires, but for treating his time with almost mathematical precision.

He wakes up at 4:30 in the morning, spends the first hour answering emails. After a 90-minute workout, he starts his day with meetings and client work that sometimes runs until 11 p.m.

And he’s the first to admit that he looks a little off work-life balance.

“I really have a problem, like I work,” said Serhant, a married father of one. “Even though I’m traveling, I’m looking forward to returning to my command station.”

For many workers, achieving balance has become increasingly important. In fact, it is top ranked talent factor when evaluating current or future jobs, according to Randstad’s 2025 Workmonitor report. It was the first time in the study’s 22-year history that work-life balance surpassed salary as a primary incentive.

But Serhant argues that the debate about work-life balance is not so simple. Many people struggle because they “lie to themselves,” he said.

“I think the easiest person to lie to is the person in the mirror,” Serhant added. “People are not true to their goals Xthey think they want Y, but what they want is nothing. What they really want is to be lazy. What they really want is to win the lottery. “

Ryan Serhant’s schedule strategy: treat time like money—literally

Years ago, before becoming known for his title of CEO and media brand, Sergeant realized that if he wanted to achieve his goals, he had to reel in his daily life.

“I did a time audit, and I just saw how much money—therefore time—I spent on things where I should have invested,” Serhant said. luck.

That realization became the foundation of his schedule, where time is money—literally. He plans his days on a scale where one minute equals $1. Multiplying 24 hours by 60 minutes leaves $1,440 per day. After accounting for sleep and food, he arrived at what he calls his 1,000-minute rule.

The system—studied by Harvard Business School students—encourages intentional timing, while also centering perspective. If your boss yells at you for five minutes, only $5 is gone. Does that small price justify spending the rest of your day—$995?

For Serhant, goal setting is his north star. By 2026, that includes scaling SERHANT as an AI-first brokerage and continuing to expand its footprint in new states. And even if he can’t reach them, he says it’s important to always pursue your career on your own terms:

“You’re going to have stressful days. You’re going to be tired, you’re going to be sad, you’re going to cry, you’re going to get sick. All the things in life that happen to you still happen, but at least you know what you’re marching towards. It’s the beat of your own drum against someone else’s song.”

Adherence to this system helped propel Serhant’s status as a leading real estate broker. His company—which includes nearly 1,500 agents and nearly 200 full-time employees—closed more than $6 billion in sales last year alone.

Billionaire business leaders like Jeff Bezos and Reid Hoffman agree: work-life balance is not a reality for success

Serhant is not alone in believing that people who want to be successful must give up the right work-life balance.

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman have long believed that anyone who wants to pursue a business in particular must dedicate themselves to their idea in order to get it off the ground.

“When I hear a founder talk about, ‘This is how I have a balanced life,’ they’re not committed to winning,” Hoffman said. How to Start a Startup at Stanford University class of 2014. “The only really great builders are (the ones) like, ‘I’m going to put literally everything into doing this.'”

Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos echoed this sentiment in an appearance last year at Italian Tech Week.

“I don’t like the word ‘balance’ because it implies a tradeoff,” Bezos said. “I always have people ask me, ‘How do you manage work-life balance?’ And I say ‘I like work-life harmony because if you’re happy at home, you’re better at work. The better you are at work, the better you are at home.’ These things go together. This is not a strict tradeoff. “

Even the former President Barack Obama admits that the road to success will require you to sometimes prioritize work over life.

Speaking of The Pivot podcasthe said: “If you want to be excellent in anything—sports, music, business, politics—there are times in your life when you’re unbalanced, where you’re just working, and you’re single-minded.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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